Chapter 54

It was three days later when Kris alighted from her Lexus four-wheel-drive vehicle. After opening the rear door to let Sasha out, the two went up the front walk to the door of the house overlooking Malibu Beach. The house was utterly magnificent, but there was something missing. Although everything was well-tended, it was as if the owner had suddenly lost interest in everything after having previously been interested in the tiniest details. It certainly looks like Josh got that one right, she thought. With Sasha by her side, she rang the door bell and waited nervously.

When it was opened by a tall, good looking man, Kris’s heart rolled over. At that instant she wanted to take him in her arms. He’s the one! she thought. I just know it!

Bill Warren was startled. As soon as he opened the door, he recognized the woman as Kris Bradley. Along with her incredible purple eyes, there was a giant tiger sitting beside her who could only be the famous Sasha. The word around town on Kris Bradley was that she was the original ice goddess. And in case anyone was a little slow in getting the message, Sasha was always by her side to communicate the message more forcefully.

Extending his hand he said, “Hi! You’re Kris Bradley. But what brings you out here? Car trouble?” Looking beyond her he saw the glistening vehicle and shook his head. “It looks brand new. What happened? Did they forget to put gas in it when they delivered it?”

The smile she gave him was the most brilliant he had ever seen. “No, nothing like that,” she replied. Then after swallowing hard, she continued, “I understand you’re looking for a cook and housekeeper. Is that true?”

Warren was utterly stunned. He shook his head to try to clear it and then said, “As a matter of fact, I am. I even went so far as to talk to a couple of agencies, and I even interviewed a couple of women, but...” He just shook his head.

“May I come in?” Kris asked softly. Then she glanced at her watch and added, “It’s almost seven. Don’t you have to be at the studio? You start shooting today.” Then glancing at the tiger she said, “By the way, this is Sasha. Sasha, are you going to say hello to Mr. Warren?”

Sasha, sitting up in his house-cat pose extended a paw and said, “Good morning, Mr. Warren. I’m very pleased to meet you.”

Bill Warren was so stunned he was speechless. After shaking his head again he murmured, “But it’s impossible! He can’t—”

“Can’t talk?” Kris asked. “But as you have just seen, he can communicate — at least he can with some people. But aren’t you going to shake his paw? He’s just trying to be friendly.”

Moving as if in a daze, Warren shook Sasha’s paw and then retreated inside. Going to a chair at the breakfast table, he just collapsed. Sitting across from him was the most beautiful little girl Kris had ever seen. She had a bowl of dry cereal with milk in front of her, but she was just stirring the cereal around listlessly.

When her father sat down, she didn’t even look up. Dropping to her knees beside the little girl, Kris said, “Hi, Susan. My name is Kris. Will you be my friend?”

The little girl looked up for the first time and then looked at Kris incuriously. “Hi, Kris,” she said softly and tonelessly. Then she returned her attention — such as it was — to the cereal floating in the milk.

Dear God! Kris silently prayed, please help this child! She’s exactly like I was. Her eyes are just as dead. And she’s so young! Her life has scarcely begun.

You’ll have to do that yourself, Kris, came the immediate reply. There is no one alive better equipped for the task than you, the Voice said to her silently. If you can’t do it, it can’t be done. Then she will rejoin her mother, Mary, with Me for all Eternity.

“Hadn’t you better be going?” Kris repeated. “I’ll stay with Susan and look after things.”

Slowly shaking his head, Bill said, “I was going to call in sick. I ... I...”

“Bill Warren, snap out of it!” Kris exclaimed. “You’re the very best in the business and you’re noted for always bringing a picture in on time and under budget. Now how can you possibly justify having a full crew sitting around the sound stage with absolutely nothing to do? Get your ass in gear and get out of this house!”

Looking around she found an insulated coffee mug and coffee in an automatic maker on the counter. Sniffing it, she quickly decided it wasn’t very good coffee but it would have to do. After filling the cup she put it in his hand and pushed him out toward what she concluded was the garage door. Moving almost like a zombie, Bill followed her directions. He activated the garage-door opener and moments later backed his Porsche out of the garage and headed off. Kris closed the garage door and returned to the kitchen where Susan was sitting in the same position with the same expression on her face — or lack of one.

After communicating with Sasha to look after the girl, Kris went out to her car, retrieved her guitar case and returned to the kitchen. There she emptied out the coffee pot, searched around, found some very good coffee that had never been opened and made herself a fresh pot. After pouring a cup for herself while the rest continued to brew, she returned to the table and opened her guitar case.

Very quietly she began to strum. Then she began to sing Shenandoah. Kris Bradley had a magnificent singing voice and was also a virtuoso guitar player. As she let out her incredible power, the little girl looked up but in wonder, this time. One after another she sang folk songs from the American heritage. In no time the little girl was just looking on in fascination at the beautiful music Kris created.

Putting down her guitar but still continuing to sing unaccompanied, she took the bowl of soggy cereal away from the girl and dumped it into the garbage disposal in the sink. Finding the necessary ingredients — and rejoicing in the care given to the kitchen layout — she prepared bacon and an omelette for the little girl. After putting it in front of her, she picked up her guitar again and continued to sing. But now the girl was actually eating, while still fascinated by Kris’s incredible singing voice.

Kris concluded her concert with The Battle Hymn of the Republic. She almost cheered when the little girl joined in on the last chorus, “Glory, glory, hallelujah!”

By this time the food was all eaten, so she cleared the plate and then said again, “Hi, Susan. I’m Kris.” Looking at Sasha she added, “And this is my friend, Sasha. He’s a Royal Bengal tiger, and he would like to be your friend, too.”

Susan Warren had been so fascinated by Kris’s singing, she had not even noticed the giant animal. Prior to the singing, she had been so sunk in despair and hopelessness she had not been aware of anything. Now she looked at Sasha whose great head was only a few inches from hers.

“Hi, Sasha,” she said in a wonderfully warm and melodic voice. When she leaned toward him, he moved in her direction and very gently kissed her. “That was really neat!” the little girl exclaimed. “I didn’t know that tigers could kiss people, though.”

“Most tigers can’t,” Sasha replied. “But a few of us can.” With his huge green eyes wide he added, “I think it’s time for a bath, Susan. Would you like a ride on my back?”

The little girl was thrilled at the prospect, so Sasha lay down flat on the floor while Susan climbed up on his back. Pacing so smoothly that Susan really had no sense of motion, he carried her to where he had earlier figured her bathroom must be. Seeing the bathroom, Kris’s eyes widened. Better and better, she thought. It was like the one at the Carlson’s and her own home, almost as big as a living room.

As a result, Kris shed the Levi’s and work shirt she was wearing and then slid off her bikini. The tub was a small swimming pool which Kris filled with warm water. After taking off her pajamas, Kris lifted the girl off the floor and climbed into the pool with her. There she just floated for a few minutes while she held the girl to her breast.

Susan just rested her head between Kris’s very firm tits and sighed while Kris gently caressed her back. Then after carefully bathing the girl, she washed her golden hair, conditioned it, and then lifted her out of the tub. Putting her on a massage table she worked some musk oil she had with her into the little girl’s skin. While her fingers moved gently over the little girl’s body, Susan just made warm happy noises. For Kris’s part, she found she loved it. The little girl was utterly perfect, albeit quite thin.

After dressing her in a pinafore, she locked up the house and drove downtown. There she parked in the basement of the building where Clifford & Jamison was headquartered and then took the little girl upstairs. On the 38^th floor she took her around to the school where she was welcomed by Samantha Conroy who introduced her to the other six-year-olds.

This was the part that Kris had been most worried about. She had been frightened at the prospect that she had discussed the day before with Sam, because while all the Clifford & Jamison students were brilliant, she had no idea how intelligent Susan Warren might be. When Sam introduced Susan to Kristin Clifford, Kristin immediately took the girl — almost her physical twin — under her wing and took her around to meet the other kids.

When it was time to begin school, Kris Bradley led the classes in singing The National Anthem. Then the classes knelt in three circles and prayed. Kris’s eyes were open as she prayed, too. Watching carefully she breathed a sigh of relief when the usual golden glow appeared, and breathed a prayer of thanks when she saw that it was particularly bright over Susan’s head.

Surely you didn’t think I would let you down, did you? the Voice said in her brain. Then He grumped, What’s wrong with you girls, anyway? You’re certainly bright enough. Why do you have so much difficulty with such a simple concept?

What concept is that, Lord? Kris thought.

That I must answer your prayers in the same fashion you must breathe! Now is that simple enough for even your pea brain to understand?

Yes, Lord, Kris mentally replied, but after all, you could always change your mind. Women do it all the time.

Maybe that’s why I’m not a woman! He exclaimed. And if I didn’t love you all so darned much...

That afternoon, when it was nap time, the children all stripped off their clothes. Most took their naps on the bellies of tigers. But today it was Kristin Clifford’s turn to nap with Samantha Conroy, and Kris Bradley was waiting to nap with Susan Warren. When the little girl came scampering up, Kris could see that the change in the child was incredible. Now her eyes were sparkling with excitement and she was incredibly beautiful. And at lunch — one that Kathy Carlson had made personally — she had eaten more than any of the other children.

Looking up at Kris she said, “You’re incredibly beautiful, Mrs. Bradley!” But then she looked puzzled and added, “But which of these children is yours?”

“I don’t have a child, Susan,” Kris replied softly, “so will you nap with me? I’ll try to keep you nice and warm.” With that Kris unzipped a sleeping bag, crawled in, and then lifted the girl in with her. Lying on her back, she rested the girl’s head against her left breast, and just gently caressed her little body. Meanwhile, Susan was utterly fascinated by Kris’s tit. With her head against her left, the girl’s little hand was gently stroking her right, but stayed away from her nipple. But the erect nipple fascinated her and then very gingerly she touched it.

“Thank you, Susan,” Kris said. “That feels lovely.”

“Will I ever have tits like yours?” the little girl asked.

“Well...” Kris replied, “that depends.”

“Depends on what?” the girl asked, now looking up toward Kris’s face.

“It depends on whether or not you start eating well. Darling, you’re too thin. I saw that you ate a very good lunch today, and I’m so pleased you did. But if you don’t eat, you won’t get nice tits.”

Changing the subject, the girl said, “But if you don’t have a child in the school, Mrs. Bradley, why are you here?”

“First of all, darling, it’s not missus, it’s miss. I’m not married. And as far as a child is concerned, Susan, you’re my child. At least you are today. Do you like it here?”

“Oh, yes!” the little girl exclaimed in a now-sleepy voice. “The kids are so neat, and there’s so much to learn.” She paused for a moment and then asked, “Will you be my mommy? I love your tits.”

“I hope so, sweetheart,” Kris responded in a voice so low the girl couldn’t hear it. Since Susan had already fallen asleep, it didn’t matter much anyway.

Leaving the school, they returned to Malibu after first stopping at a supermarket. Going into the study, she touched two keys on the computer and waited. “It can’t be!” an electronic voice said. “You’re Kris Bradley! And you’re really here?”

“I’m here, Josh,” Kris replied softly. “Ann and Mary sent me. I hope you don’t mind?”

“How could I possibly mind?” the computer replied. “But can I do anything for you?”

“Yes, you can,” Kris responded. “I have a couple of things to take care of. Would you entertain Susan for a while? I have a software CD here. It’s Robin Hood and most kids Susan’s age — mental age — seem to love it. Could you run it for her, please?” She opened its CD tray, put the disk in and closed it again. In just an instant the screen came to life. Putting Susan in the chair, she left the girl happily following the adventures of Robin Hood and Maid Marion.

Returning to her car, she retrieved her luggage and unpacked in the master bedroom. As she expected, Mary’s dresser was completely empty as was a closet which had obviously been designed to be hers. Then she began to spotlessly clean the whole house assisted by Sasha. Finally, she put out fresh flowers that had been delivered in response to her order. Going back to the study, she found that Josh was about to close out the software. Kris spent the rest of the afternoon playing games with Susan and finally teaching her to play the guitar.

At five-thirty she brought the girl into the kitchen where they made cookies and then Kris prepared Susan’s dinner. Sitting with the girl at the breakfast table, again she breathed a prayer of thanksgiving to God. With some trepidation she had prepared liver for the girl, figuring she needed the iron.

Although the girl looked skeptical when it was served, she had come to love Kris so she tried it. “It’s really great!” the little girl exclaimed. Not only did she eat every scrap, she even asked for seconds which Kris was utterly delighted to give her.

Again the two shared a bath, and again Kris gently massaged the little girl’s body with musk oil. This time the girl was much more aware. Sniffing the air she asked, “What’s that wonderful smell?”

“That’s your body, darling,” Kris replied. Then she explained what musk oil was and how it worked.

The girl grinned and said, “Neat! Now you get up here and let me put some on you.” Then with her eyes wide she added, “When I woke up this afternoon, it was so neat! Your fragrance is unbelievable, Miss Bradley. Can I please put some on you, too?” To Kris’s utter amazement, that is exactly what the little girl proceeded to do. She particularly lavished it on her breasts and slit. “You are incredibly beautiful, Miss Bradley.” Then with her eyes wide she added, “I love you very much!”

“And I love you, too,” Kris replied, “but I’ve really got to get moving. Your daddy will be home soon, and we’re not ready.” Jumping down from the massage table, she put away the stool Susan had been standing on and padded into the girl’s bedroom. First, she very carefully fixed the girl’s hair. Finding a lovely bathrobe, she put it on the girl, then gave her a loving kiss.

“Aren’t I wearing pajamas tonight?” Susan asked with her eyes wide.

“Do you want to, honey?” Kris asked.

“Not really,” Susan replied. “I wear them because I think Daddy’s uncomfortable if I don’t. But I don’t really like them.”

“Then don’t wear any,” Kris replied. Then she cocked her head and then shook it. “I don’t think I’ve worn anything to bed in at least thirteen years.”

“Is that the way you’re going to greet Daddy?” the girl asked with her eyes sparkling. “Boy! Will he ever get a thrill.”

“I don’t think so,” Kris replied. Then the two went to the master bedroom where Kris put on a purple velvet hostess gown in a shade that exactly matched her eyes. Before zipping it up she put rouge on her nipples and her nether lips along with the tiniest amount of lipstick on her already cherry-red lips. To her amazement, Susan helped, particularly with her nether lips.

“That’s not fair!” Susan exclaimed with her eyes still sparkling. “If that’s for Daddy — and it has to be — you’re not giving him a chance!”

“Is that so terrible?” Kris asked, concerned.

“Terrible? Heck no!” the little girl responded. “I think it’s neat!” Then she shook her head and added, “Poor Daddy! He’s been so lost ever since Mommy was killed.” Then she added, “I’ll bet you must be really great in bed with a man! Do you like it?”

“I don’t know, honey,” Kris replied softly. “I’ve never been with a man.”

“But that’s impossible...” the girl’s voice tailed off and slowly she shook her head. Then she looked deeply into Kris’s eyes and finally said very softly, “Wow!”

“Wow, what?” Kris asked.

Instead of answering, Susan asked softly, “Would you like to be my mother? I so hope you would, because I love you very much.” Then she paused and said, “The ‘wow’ was because I suddenly realize you’re just loaded with love and God’s Divine grace, aren’t you?”

When Kris started to protest, the little girl just raised an eyebrow in the cutest fashion. Then she said, “I hear Daddy now. Can we both greet him?” Hand in hand the two padded barefoot out to the kitchen.

Then thinking for a moment the little girl said, “It might help if you were holding me in your arms when Daddy comes in. I think it would be good for the image.”

Instantly picking the girl up in her arms, Kris gently kissed her on the lips. But a gentle kiss was not what Susan wanted. She wrapped her arms around Kris’s neck and just melted her lips to hers. There was an instantaneous two-way flow of Grace and love, but then Kris could feel mounting joy in the little girl’s kiss. They were still locked in their loving embrace when the garage door opened and Bill Warren entered. Kris gently put the girl down and Susan ran to her father.

“Daddy!” she exclaimed, “I just had the greatest day with Miss Bradley. It was so wonderful!” Looking up at him she asked, “Aren’t you going to give your little girl a kiss?”

Bill Warren was utterly stunned. He gathered Susan up in his arms and she melted her mouth against his, unloading all the love and joy she was feeling. Then she had him carry her into the library where she just bubbled over telling him about her wonderful day.

In the meantime, Kris made two very dry martinis and brought them into the library along with a platter of canapés she had made. She put the drink in Bill’s rather nerveless hand but didn’t release it until she was confident his hand had closed over it.

Susan was finishing her story with a description of the marvelous dinner Kris had cooked for her and now she was all ready for bed. “Smell me, Daddy, please?” she finally asked.

He did and then did a double take. “What is that marvelous fragrance I smell?” he asked.

“That’s my body, Daddy,” she replied softly. “Miss Bradley did it for me. But if you think I smell nice, thank you, but it’s nothing like the fragrance of hers.”

The little girl looked thoughtful for a moment and then added, “I guess I smell like a little girl — sort of like spring flowers. But Miss Bradley! Wow! She is a delicious woman.”

Then with a lovely little grin she said, “It’s my bedtime, Daddy. Will you come with Miss Bradley and put me to bed?”

He carried her into her bedroom and was shocked when she shrugged off her robe revealing her bare body. Then she dropped to her knees at her bedside and said her prayers, ending with a silent prayer for her father and Miss Bradley.

When she got into bed, Bill kissed her and turned out the lights. As he was about to leave the room, Kris took his hand and held it, hoping that something would happen.

Something did. To Bill’s utter astonishment, Susan’s sleepy head was lifted from the pillow, the pillow was fluffed up, and her head was gently lowered down on it again. Then he could see his daughter’s lips compressed as if by a kiss, and at that instant an utterly beatific smile appeared on her face. A moment later there was a very small teddy bear in her arm and she was fast asleep. Kris smiled and again breathed a prayer of thanks. Leading him out of the room, she silently closed the door.

“My God!” he said softly as they returned to the library. “What was that?”

“You’re right, Bill,” was her only reply.

Stopping in his tracks he turned her to face him and said, “Say what?”

“I said, ‘You’re right, Bill,’” she answered with her eyes wide. “What’s so complicated about that?”

“Right about what!?” he nearly screamed.

“Right about it being God,” she replied. “I’ve seen it before with a couple of other kids — my nieces and nephews, as well as my younger brother and sister — and it’s really neat.”

At that point Bill Warren was so stunned he could hardly walk. Back in the library, he more fell than sat into his easy chair. Then thinking better of it, he rose, went to the sofa and sat there. Then with a motion and a plea in his eyes, he signaled Kris to join him. Gracefully, she sat on the sofa beside him.

She gave him his drink, picked up her own and leaned against him. Taking the hint, he put his arm around her shoulder and she just snuggled close. Meanwhile, Sasha, who had been napping beside the warm fire in the fireplace, opened one eye, saw his mistress in the arms of the man he had instantly recognized as her intended, and went back to sleep.

“What’s going on, Kris Bradley?” he asked. “Are you trying to turn my life upside down?”

“That isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” she replied softly, “although it is an interesting thought. But what do you mean about turning things upside down? When I arrived this morning, Susan was in big trouble. I painfully recognized the signs and thought I could do something before the situation got too far out of control.”

Then very softly she began to tell Bill about her own history and how she had been within 72 hours of dying of starvation when she had been rescued by Cathy and Ken Bradley. At one point Bill excused himself to make new drinks for the two of them and then returned. Finally, she concluded her story.

“I have a question,” he said softly. “Today there was a lot of talk at the studio about a takeover. I didn’t pay a lot of attention, but I did hear a couple of names, Edgar Bradley and Vangie Collins. Do you know them?”

“Very slightly,” Kris replied softly. “I call them Mom and Dad, though.”

Bill Warren was shocked by her comment. “Just out of curiosity, what school was it that Susan attended today? There’s only one school I ever had any interest in, but Susan’s enrollment is utterly out of the question.”

“What school is that?” Kris asked.

“The Clifford & Jamison School,” he replied. “Of course, had Mary not been killed, it might have been possible ... only a small miracle would have been required. She was a lawyer before we were married, and I’m sure that to get Susan into that school she would have returned to practice so she could try to get her in. But that’s the only way. If your mother doesn’t work there, you don’t go to the school.”

“That’s not quite true,” Kris said. “I know that Jack and Joyce Johnson’s daughter goes there, and Joyce doesn’t work for Clifford & Jamison.” Bill was still too bewildered for her knowledge of the school to register.

“But anyway,” Bill continued, “what school did Susan attend? She certainly seemed to like it.”

“The Clifford & Jamison School,” Kris replied calmly, “and although she’s only been there for one day, Kris Clifford and Bobbie Johnson are already her best friends. You should see those three together. They are so damned cute!”

“But how could you?” he exclaimed. “It’s utterly impossible. You have to work there, and you certainly don’t!”

“It’s not very hard,” Kris replied. “Bobbie Conroy, who runs the school, is my sister, after all. And Ali Clifford, who owns the place, is my aunt. And of course, after what Joyce Johnson did for my mother, Mom would give her absolutely anything, beginning with her right arm.”

“And what did Joyce Johnson do for Vangie Bradley?”

“It’s a long story I won’t bore you with,” Kris replied. “But because of Joyce’s help, Mom was able to become pregnant. That was two kids ago. It was really so neat! Before it happened, every time she got her period she would cry her eyes out. But now? She’s unreal. Those two children are the best loved, best fed children in the whole world.”

“Best fed? What’s that mean?” Bill asked.

Kris grinned and replied, “Sometimes I even feel sorry for the little things. Mom has the richest, warmest, sweetest-tasting milk in the world! And everyone loves it. The funniest thing is to see her and my sister, Cathy, nursing each other’s children. Can you believe it? Nursing at your grandmother’s tit? But it happens. And that’s not all that happens. The two women drain each other’s tits, too. And as marvelous as Cathy’s milk is, Mom’s is even sweeter and richer.”

“How could you know that?” he asked.

“Because I drink it, too, silly. But anyway, what about Ed Bradley and Vangie Collins? What are Mom and Dad doing to me now?”

“I’m not really sure,” Bill replied, “but from what I gathered today, they just bought the studio. Now why on earth would two presumably intelligent people do an idiot thing like that?”

“First, as an attorney might say, you’re arguing a fact not in evidence when you say they’re intelligent,” she replied with a grin. “Actually, they’re both smart as hell. But the reason is probably a phone call I made.”

“What call was that?” he asked. “And what did you say?”

“I told them that your talents are being wasted by the studio. Since you’re the hottest director and screenwriter in town, the studio should use you more and give you bigger budgets to work with. Apparently the powers don’t like the subject matter of your films or your treatments. You’re not nearly Politically Correct enough.”

She grinned and added, “In fact, I even remember one in which the American businessmen weren’t the bad guys. Anyway, I guess my parents are going to give you bigger budgets and more films to do. That’s the plan, anyway. And my best guess is the Cliffords are probably involved with them.”

Bill snapped his fingers and exclaimed, “You’re right, Kris! I had forgotten, but that name came up, too.” Then he shook his head sadly and said, “You know how to make a small fortune?” She shook her head and he continued, “You take a large one and go into the film business.”

Unbelievably to Bill, she clapped her hands in glee and exclaimed, “Neato! Uncle Bill will be ecstatic!”

“Who is Uncle Bill, and why would he be ecstatic?” Bill asked.

“‘Uncle Bill’ is Bill Clifford,” Kris replied. “And he’ll be ecstatic because he’s always bleeding all over the floor about being buried under mountains of money. For that matter, so is Dad. And it’s all Ali’s fault, along with my mom and Aunt Andy.”

Then she snapped her fingers and asked, “For that matter, did the name, Taylor, come up today?” When he nodded, feeling totally bewildered, she exclaimed, “Oh, shit! This is going to be really funny now.”

“Would you kindly tell me what’s going on, Kris? It’s pretty clear that you know, or at least have a pretty good idea.”

“First, Bill, back to your little joke: In your opinion, what’s a large fortune?”

He slowly shook his head and then said, “I don’t know... $100 million, I guess.”

Then she really started howling with laughter while shaking her head. Finally she regained enough control to speak, but her head was still shaking back and forth. “No, Bill, that’s just walking-around money. Hell, even I have about $200 million and it sort of covers the rent.”

Then she took his hand and apologized for teasing him. “Bill, among them, the Cliffords, Bradleys and Taylors have something well north of $100 billion! When I said it was the fault of Mom, Ali, and Andy Taylor, I wasn’t kidding. While their husbands go nuts, the three women have a running competition as to who can generate the most money. It’s funny, really. The end result? We’re all rolling in it...”

Her voice tapered off and she went to a phone. After dialing a number, she listened and then entered still more numbers on the key pad. Finally she shook her head in disgust and hung up. “Oh, shit! She’s done it to me again...”